USS Enterprise Miniature Out For Refit

Fans hoping to see the original USS Enterprise miniature seen in the original series will have to wait a while, as the ship has been taken away for “conservation work.”

The ship’s home since 2000 had been in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in the museum gift shop.

But why conservation instead of restoration? “The Museum’s general approach emphasizes conservation over preservation and preservation over restoration,” explained those involved with the project at the Smithsonian. “Restoration is bringing an object back to its appearance and condition at a determined point in time in the past. With a restoration approach, there is less concern for preserving original materials and more focus on returning to the original specification, often through the addition of non-original materials. Preservation is an overall philosophy that favors keeping original material over creating an ideal physical appearance, while keeping the artifact from deteriorating any more. Conservation follows the preservation philosophy and is minimally invasive, utilizing scientific investigation and techniques to maintain original materials, preserving the object’s physical history of ownership and use.”

Expect to see the USS Enterprise again in time for the fiftieth anniversary of Star Trek, and the fortieth anniversary of the SmithsonianMuseum. It will be part of the Smithsonian‘s centerpiece “Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall.”

To read more on the Milestones of Flight Hall renovations, head to the link located here.